Category Archives: Consumer affairs

Isolationist or Imperialist?

Posted on 2018-07-05 by ronniec

On the eve of a showdown Cabinet meeting on Brexit, one of our frequent contributors, Ronnie Cohen, asks if British attitudes both to the EU and to this country’s metric changeover are part of the same mindset. Likes(17)Dislikes(0)

Posted in Consumer affairs, General, History, Technical, Views from abroad | Tagged cakeism, EEC, EU, imperial, isolationist, metric | 3 Comments

Energy units – muddle in the making?

Posted on 2018-06-30 by Ramsden

It was decided early in the 1990s that the unit for pricing of domestic gas should change from the therm to the kilowatt hour, which is a metric unit but not SI. We ask if this made ‘metric sense’. Likes(16)Dislikes(1)

Posted in Consumer affairs, General, History, Science | Tagged electricity prices, energy, gas prices, joule, kWh, therm | 1 Comment

Remembering a tenacious campaigner

Posted on 2018-06-14 by Ramsden

It is with sadness we report that Anne Attlee, leader of the Metric Sense Campaign for almost forty years, passed away peacefully at the age of 87 on 31 May 2018. Likes(15)Dislikes(0)

Posted in Consumer affairs, Education, General | Tagged Anne Attlee, cm, metric changeover, Metric Sense campaign, mm | 12 Comments

Carry on muddling

Posted on 2018-05-25 by Ramsden

In these uncertain times, politicians are often keen to point out areas where Britain leads the world. We have a suggestion: creating a measurement muddle. Examples follow. Likes(20)Dislikes(0)

Posted in Consumer affairs, General, Media | Tagged acre, imperial measures, measurement muddle, metric | 22 Comments

Ignorance is bliss, or perhaps not

Posted on 2018-05-17 by Ramsden

One of our regular contributors, Jake, has drawn our attention to a story that recently appeared on the BBC web site. Likes(22)Dislikes(6)

Posted in Consumer affairs, Education, Health | Tagged alcohol, centilitre, communication, litre, NHS, unit of alcohol | 3 Comments

cm versus mm

Posted on 2018-05-11 by Ramsden

As the UK’s metric changeover drags on with no end in sight, we consider if the advantages of encouraging widespread use of the centimetre outweigh the risks. Likes(21)Dislikes(3)

Posted in Consumer affairs, Education, General, Media | Tagged centimetre, construction industry, metric, Metric Sense, millimetre, SI | 14 Comments

Metric vs Imperial. Which?

Posted on 2018-04-04 by Ramsden

We comment on a letter and the reply recently published in Which?, the magazine of the Consumers Association. Likes(44)Dislikes(4)

Posted in Consumer affairs, General, History, Technical | Tagged CRT, inches, metric, screen size, smartphone, TV | 1 Comment

A storm in a champagne glass

Posted on 2018-03-09 by Ramsden

We look into the recent story that appeared on BBC TV about the possibility of champagne becoming available again in the UK in pint bottles. Likes(54)Dislikes(22)

Posted in Consumer affairs, General, Law | Tagged bottle, champagne, half bottle, magnum, pint | 9 Comments

Then and now

Posted on 2018-02-02 by Ramsden

We take a look at a film from 1973 made with the aim introducing the metric system to the general public. Likes(47)Dislikes(47)

Posted in Consumer affairs, Education, General, History | Tagged "Simply Metric", metric, metrication, muddle, UK, UK Metrication Board | 7 Comments

Diaries, and a glimpse into the past

Posted on 2018-01-20 by ronniec

Many of us have probably bought a diary for 2018 recently. Ronnie Cohen takes a look at the conversion tables found at the front of many sold in the UK. Likes(45)Dislikes(44)

Posted in Consumer affairs, History, Technical | Tagged conversion, conversions, diary, factor, factors, imperial, metric, obsolete, unit, units | Leave a comment